Manufacture of margarine



April 8 1924. 1,489,268

C). MIICHELSEN MANUFACTURE OF MARGARINE Filed Feb. 27. 1922 PatentedApr. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES I 1,489,268 PATENTXQOFFICE.

OLUF MICHELSEN, OF EALING, ENGLAND ASSIGNOR '10 MAYPOLE MARGARIN E WORKSLIMITED, OF SOU'THALL, ENGLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF MARGARINE.

Application filed February 27, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLUF MIorInnsnN, a British subject, residing atDimlands, Blakesley Avenue, Ealing, in the county of Middlesex, England,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to theManufacture of Margarine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the final stages in the manufacture ofmargarine wherein the previously rapidly cooled material in the form offlakes or separate particles or granules obtained by a known method isconsolidated by pressure and is finally subjected to the usual blendingoperation in which the consolidated material is worked into the reuiredcondition by rotating blades or heading mechanism in accordance withwell known practice.

According to this invention the separate margarine particles or granulesare subjected to a consolidating pressure and the consolidated materialis driven under such pressure through a blender to the outlet of thelatter. The consolidating and blending stages are therefore combined inone apparatus and both operations are continuous and one dependent onthe other so that the complete process is carried out in a very raid andeconomical manner.

Tn one type of apparatus the separated granules are fed into a cylinderwithin which operates a reciprocating piston compressing in front of it,by repeated strokes the granulated material and forcing a por tion of itat each stroke through a restricted opening into the inlet end of ablender provided with mechanically operated blending mechanism thepiston pressure driving the consolidated material through the blender tothe final outlet.

Instead, however of employing piston pressure which operates bysuccessive strokes, other methods, of applying consolidating pressuremay be employed and this pressure may be maintained substantiallyconstant by means for example, of a pressure producer of rotary pumptype. A suitable form of compressor comprises a pair of intermeshingrotary toothed wheels or drums in a suitably shaped casing, into themouth of which the loose granules are fed continuously at a uniform rateand are carried forward by the rotors which com ress them in front,causing the consolidate ma- Serial No. 539,794.

terial to pass through a contractin outlet into the blender throughwhich tie cont nuous pressure drives the finished margarine.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect the same will now be described more fully withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation and Figure 2 is a plan of one type of apparatus embodying thisinvention.

Figure 3 is a vertical section partly in elevation of the blendingmechanism shown in Figures 1 and 2; and

Figures 4 and 5 show a modification of the apparatus.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, A, A are a pair of cylinders situated sideby side at one end of a strong frame B mounted upon a substantial baseC. D, D are contracting nozzles or outlets belonging to the twocylinders A, A, which nozzles, however, may form part of one casting,the two cylinders forming part of a second casting. E is a crank shaft,the cranks e of which drive the connecting rods 7 of the trunk pistons Fso as to reciprocate the latter in the cylinders A. G is the blendercasing of double cylinder form, mounted on the gear casing H which inits turn is supported on the base J. K, K are a pair of paddle blades ofspiral form in the casing G and mounted upon the top and bottom shaftsk, In, the latter shafts being geared together by the wheels and driventhrough the bevel wheel by the engine driven shaft L with bevel pinionZ.

In the construction illustrated the apparatus is shown with a pair ofcylinders the pistons in which work alternately, chiefly for the purposeof giving greater uniformity of action, and one, two or more cylindersmay be employed in the same apparatus, as found convenient.

The frame B on which the various parts of the apparatus are mounted isprovided at its front end with a vertical part 7) through which thecylinders pass and on the face of which they are bolted or otherwisesecured 105 so as to extend horizontally or substantially horizontally,the cylinders also extending rearwardly at a behind the vertical support6. The cylinders are each provided with a, large opening a in the upperface, through 110 which the anulated or flaked cooled margarine is edthrou h a hopper or other convenient device. en the piston F isreciprocated in its c linder by the rotation of the crank shaft E: atthe rear end of its stroke it clears the opening a and allows the flakesor granulated margarine to enter the cylinder A in front, filling orpartly filling in a loose manner the space cleared by the piston. On thereturn or forward stroke of the piston the latter carries forward theloose particles and presses them against the already consolidatedmaterial lying in the forward part of the cylinder, the front end of thepiston extending at the end of the compression stroke a little distancein front of the forward end of the opening a, as can be seen from Figure1, which shows one of the pistons a little distance from the end of itsforward stroke and the other a corresponding distance from the end ofits rearward stroke. Thus during each complete double stroke of a pistonthe inlet aperture (1' is opened and the loose margarine allowed to fallinto the cylinder and thenbe pressed forward by the piston into theforward end of the cylinder, the inlet aperture a being closed as thepiston passes under it. The consolidated mar arine on its way to theblending cylinder may pass through slotted or perforated discs indicatedat 03 so that the margarine is divided up as it passes to the blender.

The blending mechanism is of known type,

paddle blades such as K being used in ex- 1sting apparatus for blendingmargarine in the final stages of its manufacture, the essential featureof the present invention being the combined apparatus whereby theconsolidation under piston pressure and the subsequent blending arecompleted at one stage, the piston pressure serving not only forconsolidation but also for the progressive passage of the margarinethrough the blender. The blades K preferably turn at high speed, sayabout 500 revolutions per minute.

The blender casing G is connected to the front end of the nozzles Dthrough the pair of inlets g at the upper end of the casing, the singleoutlet 9 being placed at the lower end of the casing. The blendingpaddle blades in the twoparts of the casing G co-operate in theirrotation so as to stir up the margarine and obtain the highest degree ofuniformity in the material before it escapes from the outlet g under thepressure given by the separated piston strokes of the consolidatingmechanism, the outlet g being sufliciently contracted to ensure that theblending cylinder or casing is always full of margarine. Any addition ofsalt or other material to be incorporated with the margarine in theblender may conveniently be made to the flakes before they enter theopenings a of the cylinders A. The complete process is continuous, astream of margarine granules falling into the hopper of the pistonpressure device, while the consolidated and blended margarine issuesu-ZOat a corresponding rate from the outlet of the blender, ready for packinIn Figures 4 and 5 the mo ified construction of apparatus illustratedcomprises a pair of rotors M in the form of toothed wheels or drums theteeth m of'which mesh with one another, these rotors being placed in thecasing I. the sides n of which are of part cylindrical form followingthe outline of the rotors. The casing N is shown vertical and the loosegranulated material is fed into the mouth or aperture n at the upper endwhile the lower end contracts at n. The rotors M are driven by a shaft mas shown in Figure 5.

The blender in this modification is shown horizontal, but is otherwisesimilar to that already described, comprising a casing G of doublecylindrical form carryin two paddle blades K, the driving shaft is 1nthis case being horizontal and gearing with the second shaft or spindlecarrying the second blending blade through the gear wheel is.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited Statesis 2-- 1. In apparatus for consolidating and blending margarine in thefinal stages of its manufacture, a blender, and a consolidatingapparatus adapted to receive the margarine in the form of separateparticles and provided with means whereby the said particlesaresubjected to consolidating pressure, the blender and the pressuremechanism being so connected together that the consolidated material isforced by the consolidating pressure through the blender, for thepurpose specified.

2. In apparatus for consolidating an blending margarine in the finalstages of its manufacture, ablender comprisingapair of rapidly rotatingpaddle blades and driving mechanism for rotating the said blades and aconsolidating apparatus adapted to receive the margarine in the form ofseparate particles and provided with means whereby the said particlesare subjected to consolidating pressure, the blender and the pressuremechanism being so connected together that the consolidated material isforced by the consolidating pressure through the blender, for thepurpose specified. v

3. In apparatus for the consolidating and blending of margarine in thefinal stages of its manufacture, a cylinder having an opening adapted toreceive the margarine in the form of separate particles, a reciprocatingpiston working in the said cylinder and adapted to compress by repeatedstrokes the margarine particles which are fed in front of it, an outletat the end of the said cylinder, a blendercasing having an inlet securedto the said cylinder outlet and mechanically operated blending mechanismin the said casing, through which casing the consolidated margarine isforced by the repeated Zingkes of the piston, for the purpose speci- 4.In apparatus for the consolidation and blending of margarine in thefinal stages of its manufacture, a pair of parallel cylinders eachhaving feeding openings adapted to receive the margarine in the form ofse arate particles, a reciprocating piston in eac cylinder in front ofwhich the margarine particles are fed and adapted to compress byrepeated strokes the granulated material in front of it, a pair ofcontracting outlet apertures leading from the cylinders, a doublecylindrical blender casing having an inlet secured to the said cylinderoutlets, a pair of rotating blending paddle blades mounted in the saidcasing and driving means for rotating said blades, for the purposespecified. 5. Apparatus for the consolidation and blending of margarinein the final stages of its manufacture, comprising a consolidatingapparatus receiving the granulated margarine and provided with a pair ofintermeshing rotary wheels or drums carrying round the granulatedmaterial and pressing it continuously towards the outlet, and a blenderattached to the said outlet and adapted to receive the consolidatedmargarine, which is forced through the blender under the continuouspressure due to the rotary members, for the purpose specified.

OLUF MIGHELSEN.

